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Irish Independent
34 SOCCER LEGENDS
Charlie Hurley
Date of Birth: Oct 4, 1936
Clubs: Millwall, Sunderland,
Bolton
Ireland Caps: 40
Honours: None
REMEMB
FOR
Powerful c
pleasing centr
Sunderland f
as their Play
Centu
Commanding defender captured Sunderland hearts
CHARLIE HURLEY
NO. 15
An authorised biography on
Hurley's exploits was titled
'The Greatest Centre-Half the
World has Ever Seen', and there
are plenty of old-timers in
Sunderland who believe that
statement to be true.
Irish fans who remember Hurley in full
flight always speak fondly of an all-action
defender who was a terrace favourite
wherever he went, with his commanding
nature and comfort in possession making up
for a lack of natural pace.
Unfortunately, the fact that he plied his
trade at clubs who rarely threatened for
silverware mean that footage of his best days
is limited. His legend travels by word
of mouth.
Sunderland supporters voted Hurley as
their 'Player of the Century', an unlikely
accolade considering first two games after
they paid £18,000 -- a huge sum of money at
the time -- to capture him from Millwall
in 1957.
Hurley kicked off with an own goal in a 7-0
defeat to Blackpool and that was followed by
a 6-0 reverse at the hands of Burnley.
The new recruit was staying in a hotel
at the time, and the bingo caller in the
adjoining hall was unaware Hurley was
present when he joked, "Seven and six, was
Charlie worth it?"
Although relegation followed, the big man's
fortunes turned when he was encouraged
to go forward to attack corners. Strangely
enough, it wasn't until his 124th appearance
that he actually scored, but the chaos
his presence caused was a factor in his
popularity. His fanbase swelled as a string
of solid defensive displays catapulted the
Mackems back to the top flight.
Hurley, who was born in Cork but moved
to Essex after a few months, was a proud
servant of his country, and won 40 caps.
He was another member of the team which
fell short against Spain in the World Cup
play-off in 1965, and he later dabbled in
management of the side, starring in a player-
boss role in a shock win in Czechoslovakia
in 1967.
In the mid-60s, he was pipped to the
Football Writers' Player of the Year award
by Bobby Moore, and Leeds legend John
Charles described him as "the best centre-
half in Britain and a world-class player".
Alas, he never won a major trophy in
his career, with the recognition from
Sunderland and Millwall fans (who also
voted him their man of the century) keeping
his memory fresh.